Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Choppers.

"BAGHDAD — A Russian-built Iraqi military helicopter providing aid to those stranded on a mountain fleeing Sunni militants crashed Tuesday after too many tried to climb aboard, killing the pilot, said the army spokesman."

THIS DOES REMIND ME OF VIETNAM. AN OVERLOADED CHOPPER CRASHING, THOSE ON BOARD TOO MANY, THE HELICOPTER UNSTABLE. ELECTRIC CATTLE PRODS SOMETIMES USED TO DRIVE OFF A PANICKY MULTITUDE SEEKING REFUGE.

"The Peshmerga, whose name translates as "those who face death", are the Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq. In recent weeks, they have been fighting Islamist militants of the Islamic State - formerly known as Isis - who seized large swathes of territory in the north."

"Now thought to number around 190,000, the Peshmerga have their roots in groups of loosely organised tribal border guards in the late 1800s, but were formally organised as the national fighting force of the Kurdish people after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of World War One."

That figure of 190,000 probably misleading. Includes all Kurdish men with some sort of militia experience, not full time soldiers or combatants trained by western standards. Very light infantry.

Can the center hold? I guess the question now would be if the peshmerga can hold!